September 5, 2007

Kent Update: NC/MO

We have just had a great couple of weeks traveling. We went to North Carolina for a week of vacation, and then we flew to Missouri for me to teach a class at the University.

Kent did a number of new things:

Tweetsie Railroad

Kent went to his first theme park. He road the little boat ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. We also watched Hopper and Porter (a dancing turtle and rabbit). He did not take his eyes off the show. He did the same for the magic show too — I think it was because the magician had a large Cat-in-the-Hat style hat with lots of bright colors.

Apple Sauce in the Fridge

I don’t think Kent saw us put the apple sauce in the fridge, but somehow he found out it was in there. We were sitting in the hotel room, and Kent decided he wanted something to eat. He walked over to the fridge and started pulling on the door. When I opened it thinking he was just exploring, he walked up, reached in, and pulled out one of the apple sauces. He took it over to Lorraine and mumbled his baby talk way of saying please open and feed me.

Walking on Gravel

We visited Lorraine’s grandparents old house and Kent found out that gravel could be deadly. He thought he could walk on the driveway with no help and found a patch of slippery rocks sitting on the concrete. He was rewarded with a small scrape on the knee.

While panning for gold at Tweetsie Railroad, Kent discovered that walking on gravel could be fun. The area was paved with gravel rather than pavement, and Kent could care less about the monetary value of rocks. So, he walked all over the walkways with his head down watching his feet. It was like he was enjoying the uneven, shifting feel beneath his feet.

Elevators

In the hotel, Kent learned to enjoy the elevator finger. I could say, “Go? Kent, do you want to Go?” And, Kent would catch on and say, “Go, Go”. I could open the door and he would head out of the room and down the hall toward the elevator. I am almost sure that one time he even said, “Go, Daddy, Go”!

At the elevator, I would pick him up and he would push the down button. When the elevator arrived, Kent would zip in and be ready to push the 1 button. Then, Kent would stand patiently and wait for the beep and the second bump. As soon as the door started to open, he would zip out passing anyone waiting to ride up.

Blowing the Straw Wrapper

When Kent was younger, we put a straw wrapper in front of him while waiting for our food at a restaurant. As Kent would reach to pick up the wrapper, we would blow the wrapper out of his reach. Kent would giggle, and we would do it all over again.

Well, on this trip, Kent didn’t just reach for wrapper. He tried to blow it as well. It was sort of an awkward thing, but he did get it to move when he put his mouth right up to it.